Purpose
Now entering its second year, the purpose of this Assessment remains twofold:
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To address the critical need for accessible information and communications technology (ICT) in the federal government, particularly recognizing its impact on persons with disabilities (PWD).
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To improve transparency, accountability, and trust regarding Section 508 compliance, fulfilling specific reporting requirements under 29 U.S.C. § 794d-1.
Addressing the Governmentwide Need for Accessible ICT
Building upon the foundational insights from the inaugural assessment, the FY24 Governmentwide Section 508 Assessment expands and deepens the understanding of digital accessibility within the federal government. It captures reporting entity current compliance with Section 508 compliance and digital accessibility efforts, while also examining the change from the previous reporting period. This Assessment introduces year-over-year (YOY) changes, providing a more comprehensive evaluation of digital accessibility and continuing to enhance transparency, accountability, and trust in federal digital accessibility efforts.
29 U.S.C. §794d-1 Reports on Accessibility of Electronic Information to Individuals with Disabilities
On December 29, 2022, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law No. 117-328, codifying the reporting requirement for this Assessment at 29 U.S.C. § 794d-1. This mandated new requirements for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the U.S. Access Board (Access Board) to collect and report on federal agency data on ICT accessibility.
To meet the requirements of 29 U.S.C. § 794d-1(a)(2)(B), this Assessment defines “agency” as any federal department, component-level, and independent agency subject to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Agency components, such as bureaus, sub-agencies, or major organizational divisions, as determined by the agency, reported independently from their “parent” agencies. Furthermore, “parent” agencies limited their reporting to their own operations, excluding input from component agencies. Assessment instructions stated parent agencies should coordinate with their components to enhance the accuracy and consistency of responses.
M-24-08 Strengthening Digital Accessibility and the Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act provides guidance for agencies to enhance digital accessibility by ensuring ICT is accessible, promoting inclusive digital experiences, and implementing accessibility standards as per Section 508, and it requires that “[e]ach agency shall report annually to OMB and [GSA] on its compliance with Section 508, in accordance with criteria and instructions disseminated by OMB.”
This Assessment uses the term “reporting entity” as the unit of data collection, which consists of:
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“Agencies,” which broadly applies to organizational components such as bureau, department level, or headquarters.
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“Components,” which broadly applies to an organizational unit typically one level below a department or large agency enterprise level.
The makeup of all 245 reporting entities consists of:
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24 Chief Financial Officers (CFO) Act Agencies, comprised of:
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24 “parent” agencies
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11 of those parent agencies have a total of 158 components
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63 Small and Independent Agencies or Entities (e.g., Commissions, Councils, Corporations)
Please note that the terms “reporting entity” and “respondent” used in this Assessment are not synonymous with “agencies” as used in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act or M-24-08. Thus, not all respondents may be subject to Section 508 implementation requirements or to M-24-08 guidance.
OMB, in close coordination with GSA, the Access Board, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Department of Justice (DOJ), refined the assessment criteria from the previous year, incorporating feedback from agencies to thoroughly and efficiently evaluate reporting entity Section 508 compliance. For a complete list of changes, please reference the crosswalk between FY23 and FY24 criteria. GSA also refined additional context for understanding the criteria, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), and defining terms to help reporting entities collect accurate data for the Assessment.
OMB broadly distributed instructions and 103 assessment criteria to heads of agencies, agency Chief Information Officers (CIO), and Section 508 Program Managers (PM) on April 8, 2024. Additionally, GSA posted the instructions and criteria (XLSX) on Section508.gov the same day.
OMB deferred to departments and agencies to define how they would report: individually, by organizational unit or “reporting entity,” or as a component of a larger parent agency. Reporting entities then designated a point of contact for the Assessment. GSA referenced and maintained, at the direction of OMB, a list of reporting entities and information for each point of contact.
GSA then created and released an online data submission tool for each designated point of contact to submit Assessment responses. In the leadup to the July 31, 2024, the deadline for data submissions, GSA held 11 open office sessions to answer questions about the Assessment and three submission tool demo sessions to review best practices for using and navigating the submission form.
Structure
This Assessment report is organized into four main sections:
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Background summarizes recent developments in federal law and policy related to the advancement of digital accessibility and Section 508 compliance.
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Governmentwide Findings and Category-level Findings and Recommendations highlight governmentwide and reporting entity-specific trends found in the submitted data using methods described in Appendix B.
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Recommendations propose ways to improve Section 508 and digital accessibility compliance that are based on statistical analysis of reporting entity data and contextual knowledge.
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Appendices provide a detailed explanation of terms and acronyms, analytical methods, and comprehensive responses by reporting entities.
GSA’s Reporting Requirements
Paragraph b:
- Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director, shall prepare and submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations and Oversight and Reform of the House of Representatives a report that shall include—
- a comprehensive assessment (including information identifying the metrics and data used) of compliance by each agency, and by the Federal Government generally, with the criteria and instructions disseminated under subsection (a)(1);
- a detailed description of the actions, activities, and other efforts made by the Administrator over the year preceding submission to support such compliance at agencies and any planned efforts in the coming year to improve compliance at agencies; and
- a list of recommendations that agencies or Congress may take to help support that compliance.
- The Administrator shall ensure that the reports required under this subsection are made available on a public website and are maintained as an open Government data asset (as that term is defined in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code).
GSA Reporting Efforts:
- To meet the requirements of (b)(1)(A), the Assessment evaluates and summarizes governmentwide Section 508 and digital accessibility compliance in Governmentwide Findings and Category-level Findings and Recommendations, according to the 103 Assessment criteria. Furthermore, Appendix C provides a one page summary of digital accessibility data for each reporting entity.
- To meet the requirements of (b)(1)(B), the Assessment describes GSA's efforts GSA to help reporting entities collect and submit their assessment data, as well as related endeavors to improve digital accessibility processes, in Recent and Upcoming GSA Efforts to Improve Section 508 Compliance.
- To meet the requirements in (b)(1)(C), in Recommendations, the Assessment proposes how Congress and agencies may improve governmentwide Section 508 programs and digital accessibility.
- To meet the requirements of (b)(2), data is publicly available on Section508.gov/2024-congressional-report, including respondent data as an "open government data asset."
Reviewed/Updated: December 2024
